The invention relates to an operating method for a microfluidic system and a correspondingly designed microfluidic system.
Microfluidic systems with dielectrophoretic electrode arrangements for manipulating suspended particles are known, for example, from Müller, T. et al.: “A 3D-Microelectrode for handling and caging single cells and particles”, Biosensors and Bioelectronics 14, 247-256 (1999). The dielectrophoretic electrode arrangements can be, for example field cages (“cages”) for fixing the suspended particle. The conventional microfluidic systems allow a calculated examination of suspended particles in that they are washed into the microfluidic system and fixed there in a field cage. In the fixed state the suspended particles can then be examined, for example, by impedance spectroscopy or optically.
The previously described known microfluidic systems have the disadvantage that the particles of interest each can only be examined individually. On the other hand, it is often desirable to examine the chemical or biochemical interaction between different particles, which is only possible with great expense with the conventional microfluidic systems. For example, there is an interest in examining the differentiation of stem cells or immune cells in dependency on a certain cell stimulation by chemical or biochemical trigger substances. A further example is the examining of cell-cell interactions.
The invention is therefore based on the problem of improving the known microfluidic systems in such a manner that even the interaction of different particles can be examined. Furthermore, the invention is based on the problem of providing a corresponding operating method for a microfluidic system.
This problem is solved by a microfluidic system in accordance with the invention and by a corresponding operating method in accordance with the invention.